DESCRIPTION

Crystalline is a 440gsm aqueous inkjet canvas that comes pre-made in both gloss and satin finishes. This high performance inkjet canvas should be used with photo black ink and will deliver industry-leading Dmax and color gamut a step above every other glossy or matte inkjet canvas available today. It is ideal for high-end fine art and photography reproduction.

KEY FEATURES

A NEW PLATEAU IN DMAX & COLOR GAMUT

Yep, we did it again. First it was Chromata White (2005), then it was Lyve (2009). Now its Crystalline (2011). You just won't achieve a deeper black or wider color gamut on any other canvas.

OBA-FREE, YET STILL BRIGHT WHITE

Called "Chromata White", this breakthrough technology has set Breathing Color apart for years. Normally, OBA-Free products have a yellowish surface. Our "Chromata White" technology, which we released in 2005, forever changed this by delivering OBA-Free with the desired bright white surface. This answered the needs of our customers to maximize the longevity of their prints while maintaining the most popular and desired look. Crystalline is the only OBA-Free bright white glossy canvas ever developed.

"Chromata White" gives the end-user the most stable platform on which to print photographs and fine art giclees without the metamerism issues or color shift issues inherent on other canvases. Optical Brighteners compromise the attainment of true color, they complicate profiling accuracy, and they inevitably deteriorate and yellow over time. You can read more about OBA's and their long-term effects on inkjet prints.

NO VARNISH REQUIRED

This makes it extremely attractive to printmakers who are new to printing canvas, and especially to those who prefer to avoid the labor-intensive step of varnishing their canvas prints.

Please note: If you still want to use varnish with 17M, it must be applied using an HVLP spray system.

INCREDIBLE SCUFF RESISTANCE

Even without print varnish, Crystalline prints are highly resistant to scuffing and/or abrasion.

WATER-RESISTANT

Lack of water-resistance is a commonly known problem with currently available glossy canvas options. Not anymore. Crystalline delivers an increased level of water-resistance.

COLOR CONSISTENCY UNDER DIFFERENT LIGHTING CONDITIONS

Ever noticed how a print can look identical under one light source, yet show remarkable differences in color when viewed under a different light source? This problem is referred to as "metamerism". When OBA's are used in inkjet media, the metamerism problem exacerbates exponentially. Because this product is manufactured OBA-free, you are assured that your prints will look consistent under different lighting conditions.

EASE OF USE

One of the most compelling aspects of Crystalline is its ease of use. Since they require no varnish, Crystalline prints are immediately ready to stretch or mount. With our EasyWrappe and EasyWrappe Pro do-it-yourself gallery wrap system, canvas printing just can't get any easier.

MANUFACTURER-DIRECT

Our proprietary products are very expensive to develop, manufacture and ensure quality. If we sold them through traditional distributors, our products would hands down be the most expensive on the market. Instead, we employ a manufacturer-direct business model that bypasses the middle man and empowers us to provide you with first class, state-of-the-art products at competitive prices. It also allows us to deliver direct, unprecedented service and support for our products. Here's where you can learn 5 Ways to Save Money with Breathing Color.

Print Permanence Testing

Crystalline has been longevity tested and the results are as follows: When no varnish is applied, Crystalline has a life span of approximately 55 years before deterioration may begin (this is approximately half the life span of our Lyve andChromata White canvases which are both independently archival certified for 100+ years. When our Timeless print varnish is applied, Crystalline's life span will improve to approximately 75 years before deterioration may begin.

*Note: Actual print stability will vary according to media, printed image, display conditions, light intensity and atmospheric conditions. Breathing Color does not guarantee the longevity of prints. For maximum print life display all prints under glass or lamination or properly store them. All of the descriptive information and recommendations for the use of Breathing Color products should be used only as a guide. Furnishing such information and recommendations shall in no event constitute a warranty of any kind by Breathing Color. All purchasers of Breathing Color products shall independently determine the suitability of the material for the purpose for which it is purchased. Seller‰Ûªs and manufacturer‰Ûªs only obligation shall be to replace such quantity of the product proved to be defective. Neither the seller nor manufacturer shall be liable either in tort or in contract for any loss or damage, direct, incidental or consequential (Including loss of profits or revenue) arising out of the use of or the inability to use the product. No statement or recommendation not contained herein shall have any force or effect unless in agreement signed by officers of seller and manufacturer.

Compatible Inkjet Printers

This Product has been compatibility tested and approved for the following printers. If you do not see your printer listed below, it does not mean it is not compatible but that we have not tested and approved your printer at this time. Our aqueous media is compatible with most pigment and dye-based ink systems.

To prevent the transfer of oils and dirt from your hands to the inkjet receptive coating of the media, white cotton gloves should be worn when handling the media. When not using the media, you should store it in its original packaging, exactly how it was shipped to you. Read more about our recommended handling and storage best practices on our blog, The Art of Printmaking.

When printing on canvas or fine art paper, it is critical that the prints be allowed to dry and outgass fully before they are mounted, stretched, and/or framed. Typically this takes 24 hours. Finishing these prints prematurely can cause a whole host of problems from splotchy glass when framing, to pin holes and bubbles while coating in preparation for stretching. Read more about dry time and outgassing on our blog.

Length-wise (or vertical) canvas shrinkage is typically caused by tension created on the printer while printing with canvas rolls. This shrinkage is normally quite consistent and can be compensated for through Photoshop. Read more about how to compensate for canvas shrinkage here on our blog, The Art of Printmaking.

There are a few different things that can cause banding. Most commonly, you will see banding occur when there is a clogged nozzle or something else hardware related. Please follow the steps below to help identify the issue:

Ensure that your printer can handle the thickness of the media you are attempting to print on. In your printer's user manual, or by calling the manufacture, you can find the maximum weight that your printer will accept; make sure that the media doesn't exceed this maximum specification.

While we do not offer any free, small sample strips of paper, we do offer trial rolls (which measure 17 x 10) at our cost for many of our canvas, fine art, and photo papers. These trial rolls can be found and purchased at the bottom of any product page. We also carry the Breathing Color Sample Pack which includes two unprinted letter-sized sheets of six of our most popular fine art papers. We offer samples this way to allow everyone to fully test and evaluate their own prints on Breathing Color media.

Any coated canvas—either glossy or satin—will be more susceptible to curling. This curling is most often caused imperfect atmospheric conditions. We have come up with the following quick start guide to help troubleshoot these issues: Crystalline Quick Start Guide

No. Both canvas finishes perform the same in terms of color output, density, gamut, and saturation. The only difference is the sheen of the canvas which does not affect the color output on Crystalline.

For testing and evaluation, we offer short trial rolls of all of our inkjet canvas, inkjet fine art paper, inkjet decor paper, and inkjet signage products that are sold at cost. Typically, trial rolls are 17"x10 feet. The purpose for this is to allow our customers to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of our products, cost effectively. There are several steps that should be taken when testing any new digital substrate for your printing business.

1. The substrate should be tested with several different images to be sure the product performs well with everything image-type that you intend to use it for (try a portrait photograph, a vibrant fine art print, a black & white piece, etc.). Make sure you are selecting images that are fairly different from one another with respect to color and tonal gradation for a thorough evaluation.

2. Show a few of your most important customers a print of their own work on the media you are testing. Maybe provide an example of your current media to illustrate a comparison. Explain the physical and archival attributes of the new substrate and the reasons that you are considering a switch. It is the printmakers job to educate their artists about all things printing-related, especially media.

3. Trial rolls provide enough media to create custom profiles, for those who are capable. Breathing Color also offers a free custom profile service, which requires approximately two square feet of printed media.

4. It is important to have enough media to leave a margin for error in case the first attempt had not been printed correctly (print settings, profile, platen gap, etc.).

5. For inkjet canvas: coating, stretching, and hand embellishment should also be tested.

In addition to trial rolls, Breathing Color offers a complimentary sample pack, which includes printed samples of all available fine art products, with any order (limit one per customer). These sample packs can be purchased separately for $19.95.

Matte Black (MK) ink is designed for Matte Papers and Photo Black (PK) ink is designed for glossy papers. The difference between these two black ink types is simple; MK prints a very dull, flat black, while PK prints a highly glossy, shiny black. Think in terms of flat black spray paint vs. glossy black spray paint. Generally speaking, the very best results and the deepest blacks for that particular substrate will be achieved by using PK with glossy substrates and MK with matte substrates. Your Epson printer manual will also provide you with a decent explanation of when they recommend using matte black ink or photo black ink.

That being said, wide-format Epson printers present a problem for those who wish to maximize their output potential by offering both matte and glossy papers as available substrate options. This is because Epson machines are built to run either the PK or the MK, rather than allowing the printmaker to switch blacks from print to print. As a result of this quandary, those who own wide-format Epson printers must make an important decision What type of prints do I want to be best at? In other words, if 80% of your printmaking business is fine art on matte papers and matte canvases, naturally you will want to run your Epson with MK, which will render the highest black density on your primary substrate line. Likewise, if you are a photo lab for example and mostly reproduce photography on glossy papers, the PK is the more intelligent choice as it will render the glossiest black, which is most desirable on glossy substrates (to avoid a gloss differential).

Traditionally, most all inkjet printable substrates, matte or glossy, will work with the PK ink. Though the maximum black density (DMAX) would be significantly less, the print is otherwise unaffected. This is not true of the MK ink. When most glossy or semi-glossy papers are introduced to the MK ink, the ink will run and bleed, rendering the print completely unusable.

Optical Brightener Additives (commonly referred to as OBA's) are widely used in paper coatings, textiles, and laundry detergents to increase the perceived "whiteness" of the treated products. OBA's work by absorbing light from the (invisible) ultra-violet end of the spectrum and emitting light in the (visible) blue/white range of the spectrum. This shift in the frequency of light energy, results in a whiter and brighter appearance of the treated product.

Many digital inkjet printmakers, who print using Epson 9800, Epson 7800, Epson 4800, and/or Canon imagePROGRAF iPF9000 prefer a bright white surface to print on, to the true surface color of their naturally-yellow substrate. As a result, paper manufacturers are adding OBAs to the digital inkjet receptive coating (IRC) used on their fine art papers and inkjet canvas'. The reflection of white light emanating from the OBAs will completely overwhelm the paper's natural color, creating a higher perceived whiteness, which artificially enhances the maximum color gamut and black density of the printed image. Popular rag papers that contain OBAs are the Hahnemuhle Photo Rag, Somerset Velvet, and Breathing Color Elegance. These papers are known for their bright white surface and excellent color gamut and black density.

While OBA's appear to be an effective solution for enhancing the whiteness and overall image quality of inkjet paper, this conclusion is slightly premature. The fact is, that OBA's can pose a serious threat to the integrity and longevity of a fine art print by accelerating metamerism and causing color shifts, and yellowing over time. Let us explore each of these issues in further detail.

What is metamerism? Harald Johnson defines metamerism as a normal phenomenon relating to how the human eye perceives color. It occurs when "two different color objects have the same color appearance to a normal human viewer under one light source (metameric match) but look different under another light source (metameric mismatch)." (*1) To a printmaker, this means that the painstakingly precise color information applied to each print will be compromised whenever that print is viewed under a different light source. Thus, one primary goal of any printmaker should be to avoid metamerism in order to validate the time spent on color management and to uphold the integrity of the reproduction. After all, what good is a reproduction if it does not closely match the original?

Now that we understand metamerism and why it should be avoided, how do OBAs fit into the picture? When OBAs are exposed to UV light, the treated paper appears brighter and whiter. When OBAs are not exposed to UV light (in the evening), the OBA's "lose activity", causing your eye to actually see the paper color without OBAs - which will look creamy or somewhat yellowed. This amount of "OBA activity loss" will vary constantly depending upon how much exposure the paper has to UV light. Picture the lighting conditions inside of an art gallery and how they will change depending upon the time of day. This will have a subsequent effect on the art itself, as it is exposed to various levels of UV light throughout the day. For example, your print could be displayed in a gallery near a window where direct or indirect daylight may be illuminating the print. In a case like this, where there is a high UV component, inkjet papers that contain OBA's will strongly fluoresce and will appear bright white. However, in the evening when the same print is displayed with low or non-existent UV component (or incandescent tungsten illumination), the OBAs will not fluoresce, making the paper appear yellow, therefore causing your eyes to see the image color differently.

How does this happen? Think about it. Your "bright white" paper is profiled to your printer so that the computer can translate color information accurately to the substrate. Anyone with experience creating color profiles will tell you that the "white point" of your substrate is an integral component of a profile's accuracy. If the whiteness of your paper changes, so must your profile. This is precisely how OBAs are constantly working against your color management. As the perception of whiteness of the paper is constantly changing, so do the perception of colors. Here's a good test. If you can find a paper offered in both bright-white and natural-white, try using the natural-white paper printing profile on the bright-white paper. You will be surprised by how different your results will be.

Next, take both papers and observe the whiteness in broad daylight. The paper with optical brighteners should look extremely bright white, while the paper without optical brighteners will look creamy. Then, take the two papers indoors where they are exposed to no sunlight and observe the whiteness. You probably will not be able to tell a difference between the two. At the very least, you will notice that the paper with OBAs no longer looks so white and bright. Many times, the OBA-Free paper will appear whiter. Nevertheless, the important point is that your OBA-Free paper has remained consistent under both lighting conditions, while the paper with OBAs has been inconsistent. This inconsistency directly correlates to the inconsistency that your image color will have under different lighting conditions. Still, overall white point is only one of the risks associated with using substrates that contain OBAs.

Another problem with OBAs is that they have been known to decompose over time and can cause yellow stains to appear on your prints. It is possible to avoid this issue with UV inhibiting products and overcoats that are designed to reduce the UV activation of OBAs, but their effectiveness in this regard has yet to be proven. Therefore, regardless of the post-print protective coating that can be applied, the fact remains that any fine art print made on a paper manufactured with OBAs is a print at risk. To quote Henry Wilhelm from the Wilhelm Research Institute, "When long-term image permanence is an important consideration - or may eventually become an important consideration - fluorescent brighteners should be avoided".

This associated risk is precisely why OBA-Free papers have rapidly gained popularity in recent years despite their "Natural White" color, which could be considered creamy or even yellow. Of course some printmakers have chosen to use OBA-Free papers because they specifically like the warm tone of the paper, but the majority of the market is avoiding papers manufactured with OBAs because they (1) enhance metamerism and (2) they are a potential risk to the longevity and integrity of a substrate. A few examples of popular OBA-free papers are Epson's Ultrasmooth Fine Art Paper, and Breathing Color's Sterling Rag 210.

Printmakers who use OBA-Free papers simply eliminate the entire element of what can be called "OBA-associated Risk" from their business. These printmakers know that metamerism is a problem that should be minimized whenever possible - certainly never enhanced. Furthermore, OBA's have degradation potential and up to this point there is no guarantee that anything will last. Nevertheless, if an artist or photographer specifically requests that their artwork be printed on a paper manufactured with OBA's, a disclaimer should be issued, clearly explaining the facts and associated risks. Ultimately the customer should be left with the decision of how they want their art to look.

In an industry so obsessively tied to color accuracy and long-term print stability, it is a wonder why OBA-Free papers are not more commonly used than papers manufactured with OBA's. Art sells because of how it looks and in this business there is no room for error. Therefore, anyone who is involved in this relatively infant industry of selling printed art has genuine incentive to make color integrity a top priority. As further research is performed on the subject of OBA's, this industry will become more educated which will most likely cause a shift towards the widespread use of OBA-Free papers.

It is for this reason that Breathing Color has been conducting a great deal of research and development in quality paper manufacturing, which has resulted in the latest technological breakthrough "Chromata White". The Chromata White technology allows Breathing Color to create a highly stable white base paper/canvas without the use of harmful OBA's or any other fluorescent brightening additives. Color shifting is reduced by stabilizing the whiteness of the base substrate with a special anti-oxidation technology that even further protects printed images. Furthermore, metamerism is minimized by quenching the ultraviolet excitation wavelengths resulting in a more stable illumination of an image under different spectral power distributions.

By using Chromata White inkjet papers and canvas', printmakers now have the opportunity to get the best of both worlds. They eliminate all OBA-associated risk, and they have bright white surfaces to make beautiful prints that uphold the highest standards of color integrity that are possible today.

The best way to protect coated prints when stacking or sending out to ship would be to wrap the print in Glassine paper. You do not want to separate your prints with paper that contains acid in it. If acid comes into contact with your print it may cause the print to turn yellow. You can find many different types of Glassine papers online, or at your nearest art supply store. The main thing to keep in mind when looking for this type of paper is to make sure the paper has a neutral pH level, or acid free.

The trademarks and model numbers of EPSON printers and KODAK are identified for compatibility purposes only. Epson does not endorse or sponsor our products.Breathing Color, Inc. is not affiliated with Epson or Kodak. EPSON and EPSON Stylus are registered trademarks of Seiko Epson Corporation. Kodak is a trademark of Eastman Kodak Company.